IPC Urges Military To Be Civil Towards Journalists, Others

The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos, has called on the military to act with civility over missing Major General Idris Alkali and stop arbitrary arrest of citizens, citing the Plateau State correspondent of The Punch newspaper, Paul Barde, who was harassed and incarcerated for about 28 hours.

IPC made the call yesterday following media report on the infringement of citizens’ rights.

This Day newspaper had reported that Mr. Barde came back on Sunday night after spending about 28 hours behind bars over the disappearance of Alkali, the former Chief of Administration in the Nigerian Army.

“On Saturday, October 6, 2018, I went to the ATM of UBA and did cash transaction, Later, I decided to eat at the popular Anne Breeze Restaurant in Rayfield area of Jos.

The waiters had not brought my food when soldiers in two trucks (about 30 of them), all masked and armed, stormed the place, shot indiscriminately and arrested everyone they sighted.”

Director of IPC, Lanre Arogundade, condemned the act, describing the harassment and illegal detention of Mr. Barde and other members of the public as a gross violation of their fundamental human rights.

Meanwhile, the Department of State Services (DSS) yesterday eulogised journalists for their contribution to nation building through dissemination of information.

It, however, expressed concern over the spread of fake news in the social media by users, declaring such news items as unhealthy for national cohesion and integration.

Edo State director of the DSS, Ibrahim Halilu, stated this when members of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Edo State chapter, led by its chairperson, Mrs. Nefishetu Yakubu, paid him a courtesy visit in Benin City.

alilu urged the media to, at all times, put the interest of the nation first while performing their constitutional responsibility.

The Institute for Media and Society is an independent, non-governmental organization based in Nigeria. The institute was established in April 2000.
In establishing the organization, we considered and were convinced of such issues as:
the inter-relationship between the well-being of a society and its media as well as between the state of the media and the responsiveness and growth of societal institutions.
the institutionalization of democracy and development in Nigeria being nourished by a free and pluralistic media structure, culture and environment.